OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV)– Hospitals nationwide are dealing with IV fluid shortages after Hurricane Helene caused large manufacture to temporarily close.
- Hurricane Helen cause large manufacture to temporarily close, leading to nationwide IV fluid shortage
- Baxter was the primary supplier of Nebraska Medicine
- Now, the hospital is looking for solution to minimize the impact of the shortage
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Hospitals nationwide are rationing IV fluids after Hurricane Helene caused disruptions in supplies.
A manufacture that supplied 60% of the nation’s IV fluids and Nebraska Medicine’s primary supplier temporarily closed due to Helene.
"Certainly, a dire situation as hospitals are trying to keep standard operating procedures," Katie Reisbig, director of pharmacy at Nebraska Medicine said.
The Baxter Production Plant in North Carolina experienced disruptions during Hurricane Helene, forcing it to temporarily close.
Now, all hospitals across the nation are dealing with a reduction in IV fluid inventory.
"We were very impacted by the Baxter plant closure, that is where we get all our iv fluids from,” Reisbig said. “Some hospitals get them from variable locations, so we all are feeling a bit of a different impact."
Now, a different large plant is also closed because it's in Daytona, Florida and was in the path of Milton. It makes about 20% of the national supply of IV fluid, fluids that needed for patients and are used in several procedures in the hospital.
“It’s fair to say that when you're very ill it’s a life saving measure that we utilize IV fluids for," Reisbig said
Reisbig said she and her team have been working around the clock and working with others in the region, finding ways to conserve their inventory and decrease use of fluids where they are able to.
"We have many teams partnering with us to find ways to decrease the use where we are able to so we can prioritize the inventory we do have for our sickest patients," she said.
Nebraska Medicine is looking for other sources for IV fluids and planning for the coming weeks.
“As we continue to try and increase what we need we are also decreasing our usage," Reisbig said.
About 65 products have been impacted by this disruption.
Baxter did increase allocations Wednesday, but Reisbig says Nebraska Medicine will likely continue to see the impacts of this interruption through the end of the year.
Nebraska Medicine also said it has not had to postpone any surgeries due to this disruption.
